


Walking Across the Sky

by MagicMysticFantasy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Because you can't convince me that's not true for James and Sirius, Canon Compliant, F/M, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Platonic Soulmates, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, Summer Vacation, Wizarding Culture (Harry Potter), Wizarding Traditions (Harry Potter), Wizarding World (Harry Potter), Worldbuilding, as far as I can tell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29477598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicMysticFantasy/pseuds/MagicMysticFantasy
Summary: With the threat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters looming ever closer, Lily is no longer able to go home safely the summer after her sixth year. After approaching Dumbledore for help, he comes up with a solution that changes the summer for both Lily and the Potter family. Throughout the break, maybe some other things can also have a chance to change for everyone involved.
Relationships: Euphemia Potter/Fleamont Potter, James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marauders & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends! I have had this idea rattling around for a long time now, but I could never get it to come out right until now. Since it seems to be working now, here's the first chapter of the story! I'm doing my best to keep things canon-compliant, just filling in some of the blank spaces regarding the previous generation using what little we know of them. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also: Rowling's multiple prejudices that she has revealed since writing the series are unacceptable and will not be influencing anything here. They are not a part of the Wizarding World I fell in love with as a child, and I won't let her taint the good parts of what she created with her prejudiced views now.

“Black.”

At Lily's voice, all four Marauders looked up from their studying for their end of the year exams and turned to look at the redheaded girl standing by their table. Sirius raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair as he caught sight of her serious expression.

“Ah, Evans, what can I do for you?” he asked, a smirk sliding into place out of habit. Lily seemed to ignore his attempted humor, as well as the other three at the table who were giving her curious looks, as it was well known that Lily Evans almost never sought out one of their group unless she had to.

“I need your help finding a book.” Her voice was quiet, but it held a weight to it that normally wasn't there. At her words, however, Sirius's smirk turned into a wide smile as he cast his eyes across the table towards Remus, gesturing as he spoke.

“Well, if that's the case, I'd suggest asking Moony. He  _ is  _ our resident bookworm for a reason, afte-”

“I should have been more specific,” Lily interrupted, her annoyance at how lightly her classmate was taking her request finally beginning to bleed into her voice. “I need your help finding a book on Blood Wards.”

All humor immediately drained away from Sirius's expression, and James sucked in a startled breath. Peter squeaked, and Remus sent Lily a sharp look, though she kept her eyes solely on Sirius. He seemed to consider her for a moment, before turning in his chair and leaning in towards her, letting out a slow whistle.

“Damn, Evans. That's Dark magic,  _ really _ Dark. Do you know what people would think - what they'd  _ say - _ if they knew you'd even  _ asked _ about stuff like that?” Her expression stayed the same.

“I don't care. And even if I did, it isn't your job to look out for me or my reputation.” She paused and took a deep breath as if bracing her nerves. “Now can you help me or not?” Sirius studied her a moment longer, before answering her question with one of his own.

“Do you plan to use it to hurt anyone?” he asked. Lily's expression shifted into one of mild confusion as she looked at him, clearly perplexed at the question.

“No? Of course not.”

Sirius waited a moment, seeing if she would say anything more. Lily still had a slight frown on her face as she looked at him, but she seemed to be bracing herself for his refusal to help her. He studied her a moment longer before finally breaking the silence.

“Are you going to tell me anything more about why you need it?” Lily let out a wavering breath and shook her head.

“No. I can't.”

Sirius considered her a moment longer, before leaning back in his chair so that he was sitting fully upright once more as he clapped his hands to his thighs noisily, his serious demeanor slipping away slowly to reveal the schoolboy everyone was more familiar with once again.

“Right. Well then, I'll see what I can do. I'll let you know by the end of the week if I find something that can help you.” Lily blinked at him in surprise, her walls fully down for the first time since they had started their conversation.

“Wait, that's it? You aren't going to ask me to do something for you? Demand more information from me?” Sirius raised an eyebrow at her in response to her complete bewilderment.

“I don't need to. I figure if there's something bad enough to scare Lily Evans witless enough to ask for help from someone she doesn't particularly like in an attempt to get ahold of a book on magic she despises, then it's serious enough that I should be doing whatever I can to either get out of her way or help her, no strings attached. Especially since you aren’t setting out to harm anyone with it.” Lily's startled look remained for several moments until it shifted into an expression of consideration as she appraised him anew. 

“Thank you for that, then. I suppose I'll see you at the end of the week in that case, Black.” For the first time, Lily turned her attention to the rest of the Marauders, nodding at each as she acknowledged them. “Remus. Pettigrew. ... Potter.”

After the slight hesitation before addressing James, she squared her shoulders, visibly changed her expression to a more familiarly cheerful one, and turned on her heel, heading back towards the library doors. The four boys stared after her, not fully comprehending what had just happened.

“I didn't just dream the last five minutes, did I?” James asked, turning back towards the others. “Lily Evans did just come over here and ask us for our help, right?” Remus sent him an amused look, tapping his quill on the table.

“Technically she just asked Padfoot. But yes, Prongs, I'm pretty sure you didn't just fall asleep with your eyes open,” he joked, before casting a slightly more concerned look at the place where Lily had just disappeared. “I hope everything's okay though. I don't think I've ever seen her that worried, and if she's now asking for information on  _ Blood Wards _ ...”

“You think she's in danger,” James finished seriously, his expression somewhat grim, “or that she's going to be.” Remus nodded slowly in response, still looking pensively at the library door.

“Maybe. But Blood Wards are more commonly used to protect other people, so my guess would be that she's thinking about trying to protect someone else.” Remus sighed and looked back at the rest of the group. “Still, whatever her reason, she's scared enough to ask Sirius for help.”

“I'll see what I can do,” Sirius promised them. “But, until I can get going on that, does someone know of  _ any _ use a Flobberworm has? Because I have a foot and a half to write, and I am drawing a complete blank.”

* * *

It wasn't until after dinner when they returned to the common room that they saw Lily again. There was no sign of her earlier unrest upon her face and had she not let it slip earlier, they would have had no idea that anything was wrong in her life.

She was sitting in a chair, deeply enveloped in a book as thick as one of their forearms. Beside her were several small stacks of notes, and she was already adding more information to one of the sheets as they watched. Behind the group, Marlene McKinnon stepped through the portrait hole with Mary McDonald.

“Lily!” she exclaimed, dragging Mary over by the hand. “Are you still working on that?! How long has it been since you started that assignment? It looks like you’ve barely moved since we got back from the library this afternoon.”

“Oh, I finished all my homework and studying hours ago,” Lily said absently, the end of her quill dragging against her cheek thoughtfully before she made another note. “This is... extracurricular, I suppose you could say.”

At that Marlene blinked, looking vaguely horrified at the thought of doing extra work during exam season. Meanwhile, Mary had freed her hand and leaned over to carefully lift up the front end of the book on the table, doing her best not to disturb Lily as she did so. She frowned, seeing the title.

“ _ Warding for the Worst: How to Stay Safe When Nowhere’s Safe _ ?” At Mary’s incredulous reading of the title, all four Marauders exchanged a look, remembering their earlier conversation. “Lily, are you alright? Nobody’s messing with you again, are they?”

_ Again? _ Sirius mouthed, looking perplexed, even as James felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. A glance at Remus showed that he just looked grimly understanding, and Peter looked oddly thoughtful.

“No, no, nothing like that,” Lily assured. “I think the last group that tried still has some...  _ reminders _ of the encounter, and I think overall they’re starting to learn to stay away.”

“Good,” Mary huffed. “It’s about time, honestly. We’re almost done with our sixth year, you’d think they’d learn better than to take you on by now. But that still doesn’t explain why you’re reading up on Wards. I come from a family of curse-breakers, remember. That’s a high-level book, one only curse-breakers tend to use, Lily.”

There was a moment of pause as Lily slowly stopped writing. Her quill hovered over her page for a moment, before she lifted her gaze to Mary, eyes wide in a slowly dawning realization.

“Curse-breaking,” she breathed, features becoming more animated as she became more and more excited. “What if, instead of - I just have to - Mary, you beautiful  _ genius  _ of a girl!  _ Tempus _ . Oh, thank Merlin and Morgana. I have just enough time to run to the library and make it back before curfew if I run. Watch my stuff, won’t you? Oh, Mary, I could  _ kiss _ you right now!”

A flurry of motion later and Lily was gone out the portrait hole, leaving only stunned silence in her wake. Marlene and Mary stared after her, utterly perplexed. They then glanced at the Marauders, who hadn’t managed to get very far before the commotion, and all six of them exchanged baffled looks.

“I guess she’s welcome?” Mary said uncertainly, before moving to the table to shuffle through Lily’s notes. “What kind of extracurricular project  _ is _ this, anyway?”

Marlene leaned over her shoulder, quirking an eyebrow at whatever was on the page. Almost against his will, James found himself shuffling closer out of curiosity. From the muffled sounds behind him, he assumed the other three were following too.

“This is... intimidatingly thorough,” Marlene admitted, as Mary obligingly tilted the pages towards the Marauders to let them see too, after scanning the four boys warily. “Honestly, this information is so far beyond NEWT level, she could probably apply for an Apprenticeship tomorrow and get it - maybe even obtain a Mastery.”

The pages contained dozens of formulas and diagrams, notes, dates, theories, spells, runes, arithmancy equations, and even a few newspaper clippings, from the look of it. James had no idea what half of it even meant, but he knew enough to get the gist of what he was seeing. Lily Evans was working on developing some really serious wards, and maybe even making some entirely new ones.

He glanced over at Sirius and Remus, who probably had a better idea of what the tangle of notes meant, given that Remus was in Arithmancy in addition to sharing Runes with James himself, and Sirius was in Arithmancy too and had always been better with magical theory than any of the group. Both of them looked intrigued, but slowly an impressed and slightly surprised expression began to emerge on each of their faces.

“This is not a recent project,” Remus finally said aloud, reaching out to flip to another page. “This amount of cross-referencing and research, the sheer amount of  _ data _ here, this has to be at  _ least _ a few years old. She has to have been working on this for a while now.”

“Why Warding, though?” Sirius asked, expression unreadable as he flipped through a different stack of pages. “I mean, Evans has been debating between being a Charms Master and a Healer, right? So why Wards - especially Wards of this degree?”

Her friends exchanged a look in which they had a silent conversation, before Marlene turned back to them, a stubborn set to her jaw.

“We don’t know. If pressed, I could name a few ideas, but none of which I’d be willing to share with you without her permission. What goes on in Lily’s life is her business, until she decides otherwise.”

“I can respect that,” Remus acknowledged absently, scanning another page, before flicking his eyes up to the two girls with a carefully neutral expression. “It’s just that Lily approached us today in the library about a book she thought Sirius might have checked out already, and it made me curious.”

The Marauders watched as the two girls took in the message hidden in that sentence, glancing over at Sirius - Marlene with her eyebrows raised and Mary with narrowed eyes - before they exchanged a glance with each other.

“All I’m willing to say,” Marlene said slowly, words careful as she progressed due to the number of potential eavesdroppers in the common room, “is that Lily... may have more in common with my family than one might initially anticipate. And that’s all you’ll get out of me  _ and  _ out of her notes, so hand those over, Lupin, before Mary hexes you.”

As the two girls gathered together Lily’s abandoned things and made their way up the stairs to the girls’ dorms, James turned over that statement in his head. While the McDonalds were well-known for their curse-breaking, the McKinnons were almost as well known for their prowess in Divination. His eyes widened, and he snapped his head to stare incredulously at the closed portrait hole that Lily had disappeared out of earlier.

Lily was a Seer? A moment later, James cast his gaze towards Sirius, who was already looking back at him with the same surprised expression. After a moment more, though, Sirius looked contemplative.

“It can’t be strong,” he pointed out. “Otherwise we’d know by now, regardless of the medium, and she’d be forced to train it better for her own sake if nothing else.”

“True,” James mused. “Think it’s like Cassandra, Nostradamus, or Madame Marie’s?”

“Not sure, could be any of them, really - or even none of them.”

“And for those of us who can’t read minds?” Remus asked dryly, causing the two of them to look at him and Peter. Glancing between the two of them, Remus snorted. “Merlin, even your apologetic faces are the same. Come on, let’s head up to the room; I get the feeling this shouldn’t be eavesdropped on.”

They made their way upstairs and shut the door once they reached their dorm, Remus waving his wand to automatically activate the privacy spells they’d set up ages ago. They went and sat down on the nearest pair of beds, James’s and Sirius’s, and paired off facing each other.

“I’m pretty sure Marlene was implying that Lily’s a Seer,” James stated plainly, once they were settled. “Probably not a powerful one, given that it’s hard to hide when you are, but enough so that whatever her project is on is probably based on something related to what she got from her abilities.”

“You think she saw someone being attacked?” Peter asked, frowning a little and looking slightly concerned. “She was asking about Blood Wards, and I know she has a sister - she was annoyed the other day in the common room and mentioned her. Maybe her parents?”

At that James felt Sirius’s arm press into his own subtly from where he was sitting beside him. He leaned into the contact silently, appreciating the gesture even as he turned his attention back to the conversation at hand.

“Maybe,” Remus responded, looking doubtful. “But isn’t everyone else in her family a Muggle? Most wizards wouldn’t know anything about how to find them, so it would be a bit much to look into Blood Magic just for that.”

“Her friends mentioned she was getting picked on, probably for being Muggleborn given the state of things,” Sirius added in, a bit reluctantly. “Maybe they’re really for her after all? I know it’s tricky to do for yourself and a pretty unconventional use for them, but she’s done enough research on Wards that it could be possible.”

“I’d like to see the person who decides it’s a good idea to place themself on the other side of Lily Evans’s wand,” James snorted. “Everyone knows the Auror program has tried to recruit her already for her Charms work alone.”

“I guess we won’t know for sure until we get more information or until she decides to say something,” Peter acknowledged, before turning to look at Sirius. “You’ll help her get the book though, right?”

“I promised didn’t I?” Sirius said flippantly, twisting to rest his chin on James’s shoulder. “I was able to snag a few extra things over the winter hols when Lor - er, Dad brought me back to Black Mansion to pick up my stuff. If something useful wasn’t in the lot that I grabbed, I can at least point her in the right direction, I think.”

“Good,” Remus said firmly. “That’s all we can really do unless she asks for more help.”

“Yeah…” James responded, not quite satisfied with that, but knowing his friend was right.

* * *

“Mr. Potter, please remain after class has ended.”

At Professor McGonagall’s quiet request, James exchanged a confused look with Sirius, before nodding. He couldn’t think of why the professor would want to speak with him - as far as he knew he hadn’t pulled a prank worthy of her direct attention recently - things had been pretty quiet for the last two days.

The thought of what she could want hovered in the back of his mind for the rest of class so that it passed in a blur. The material itself was nothing new, they were just starting on transfiguring inanimate objects to animated beings. After all the research he and the others had done to become Animagi, it wasn’t hard to pick up other Transfiguration skills, so he was able to keep up just fine while letting his mind wander.

Before he knew it, class was over and Sirius was hovering near him as he gathered his things and Remus and Peter moved to the door, sending the pair of them a meaningful look to tell them everything later. Turning their attention back to Professor McGonagall, their professor smiled a little, looking at them.

“I should have known that asking for Mr. Potter would result in your presence as well, Mr. Black - especially after so many years,” she said, motioning for them to come to the front of the classroom and handing James a slip of parchment. “The Headmaster would like to see you in his office after your last class of the afternoon. Please do not keep him waiting, as I was told it’s a matter of great importance. The password is ‘lemon drops’.”

“Professor?” James asked, taking the parchment and glancing down at it. It was a simple request for his presence, signed by the headmaster.

“I have no more information for you, Mr. Potter,” McGonagall said, sounding almost apologetic. “The headmaster did not deign to tell me anything else.”

“I’ll make sure he gets there, Professor M,” Sirius said cheerfully, clapping James on the back and leaving his hand on his shoulder.

“See that you do, Mr. Black,” the witch responded, eyes gleaming with amusement even if her features didn’t change much. “Now, I believe both of you have a class to get to, do you not? Best not be late, now.”

Sirius cast a  _ Tempus _ and gained a pinched look on his face that James knew meant he’d be cursing if McGonagall wasn’t there. They both grabbed their things and rushed out the door, just making it to Care of Magical Creatures on time.

* * *

James had almost forgotten about the headmaster’s request to talk until he’d been on the way to dinner with Sirius after COMC and the other boy had raised an eyebrow at him and shoved him in the direction of the headmaster’s office with a reminder.

He’d spent the entire walk there furiously going over every prank they’d played recently and trying to figure out what else might have happened, given that nothing was coming to mind that would get him in trouble with  _ Professor Dumbledore _ himself.

He finally reached the doorway, and when the gargoyle slid aside at the password and he finished climbing the staircase, James was met with the door to Professor Dumbledore’s office. Feeling a little apprehensive, he hesitantly knocked on the door.

“Please enter,” came the Headmaster’s response.

James pushed open the door and was surprised to see Lily already seated, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she refused to look either of them in the eye, her posture stiffer than he’d ever seen it. Confused, James glanced between her and Dumbledore, trying to figure out why he was here.

“Ah, Mr. Potter. Come in, my boy,” Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. He gestured to the chair beside Lily, then continued. “We are simply waiting for two more guests, and then we can get started. Please, sit. Would you like a lemon drop?”

“No thank you, sir,” James said, cautiously sitting down in the chair next to Lily. He glanced over at her to try and figure out why they were both here, but she kept her eyes fully forward, staring at the various whirring devices behind the headmaster, while her hands were clenched in the fabric of her skirt. “Um, why exactly are we here?”

Before Dumbledore could respond, the fireplace flared green and James’s father stepped through, followed by his mother. Lord Potter brushed himself off, then waved his wand towards his wife’s robes, cleaning them for her as well.

“Mum, Dad!” James stared at them in surprise, now even more confused about what was going on. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah, Lord and Lady Potter, it’s good to see you,” Dumbledore said, smiling genially at them, before gesturing to the two free chairs beside James. “Please, sit. We all have much to discuss.”

James’s father glanced at him, before taking his wife’s hand and sitting down with her in the other two chairs. On their other side, Lily looked over the Headmaster’s shoulder at the wall of portraits.

“Dumbledore,” Fleamont Potter said, flicking his gaze towards Lily before turning his attention back to the man in front of him. “What is this about? Has James done something, or has something happened to him?”

“No, nothing so drastic as that, good sir,” Dumbledore replied immediately, smiling at them all in reassurance. “I merely wanted to discuss a matter that concerns all of you. It is merely a request, but I figured you would all like to have input for it.”

“Very well, then, let’s hear it,” Euphemia stated, raising her eyebrows.

“Several weeks ago, Miss Evans here informed me of her concerns regarding the safety of her Muggle family members,” Dumbledore began. James looked over at Lily in surprise. “Unfortunately, due to the Statute of Secrecy, Muggles are not allowed to spend time in magical homes - and magically-warded homes are considered magical, until something changes in the Wizengamot.”

“Wait, really?” James blurted out. “Even Wards are too much?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” the headmaster confirmed, glancing at him momentarily. James cast his own gaze towards Lily. If the Wards she was working on are not for her relatives, then who could they be for? Blood Wards tend to be exclusive to family members since they require a blood connection to work, and there is nobody else she is related to as far as he is aware.

“What exactly does this have to do with ourselves and our son?” Fleamont asked, curious now. Dumbledore reached out and picked up a lemon drop from the dish on his desk, popping it in his mouth before he spoke.

“A little known fact is that Muggleborn homes can only be detected by the presence of the Muggleborn themself within it - otherwise there is nothing connecting them to their Muggle families that can be detected magically,” he said. “Miss Evans’s concerns reminded me of this, and it occurred to me that should she remain elsewhere during her breaks until graduation, then her family should be undetectable and thus, perfectly safe from Voldemort’s followers.”

“And you wish for her to remain with us,” Euphemia finished, turning her gaze upon the red-haired girl sitting across from the headmaster. James saw Lily glance her way, before turning her attention to her hands, now clasped together tightly in her lap.

“If you are willing,” Dumbledore acknowledged. “As a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, the Potter family home has a great deal more defenses than the average wizarding home, ensuring that Miss Evans stays safe as well while she is not with her family. However, the decision is entirely yours, of course.”

“We have two sons already living with us,” Fleamont finally said, after a long moment of consideration, his eyes thoughtful as he watched Lily. The girl looked up, meeting his eyes in turn. “James and Sirius, as I’m sure you know. I also know that you and our sons have not always… seen eye to eye in the past.”

James flushed a little at the reminder of some of the… less than admirable moments, with the Marauders’ pranking. They really had targeted certain members of the school too much before they learned to spread it out so that everyone had fun, and that included Lily’s then-friend Snape. James still wasn’t entirely sure where Lily and Snape stood, after their very public fight. Lily too seemed to know exactly what his father was referring to, as her chin tipped up a little in both embarrassment and certainty.

“I am aware of our… history, Lord Potter, but I can assure you that I am certainly capable of remaining civil when treated with dignity in kind,” she responded, words careful. James blinked, a little surprised at the unexpected formality coming from her. “As for whether I stay with you or not - it was not my intention for the headmaster to trouble you with this when I brought up my situation with him, and I understand perfectly if you and Lady Potter are unwilling to host me. You have no obligation to and I will not take it personally. If you are willing but have reservations, know that I intend to both pay for my room and expenses and that I am open to discussing any concerns further.”

“Don’t be silly, dear, of course we won’t make you pay if we accept you living with us,” Euphemia brushed her offer off instantly, looking a little offended. “You are a minor and we are the adults - not to mention, we have plenty of gold to spend if needed. No, I’m wondering if you are sure about this? Once word gets out that you have left your family, you will not be able to see them again easily - those who mean you harm will be watching you more closely afterward.”

“I’m sure,” Lily says quietly, formality breaking for a moment as her eyes lower again, clearly filled with pain despite her every attempt to hide it. “I haven’t been close to my sister for years now, and my parents… they have no idea about any of this. I’ve kept them out of it. If they are in danger just because I’m living with them, then it would be selfish of me to stay. So I’ll be leaving them alone during breaks, one way or another.”

“You would be comfortable with us?” Fleamont asked, his eyes sharp as they studied Lily’s reactions. “Everyone deserves somewhere where they can thrive. If that is not us, we can help you look elsewhere.”

“I -” Lily looks a little taken aback at James’s father’s words. “I think so. You both seem kind, and I am already familiar with your - with your children. I feel that I would be capable of getting along with all of you well enough for this if you accept.”

Here, Fleamont turned his attention to James, who straightened at his father’s sudden attention. Lily followed his gaze as well, and so did the headmaster and James’s mother.

“And you, James?” his dad asked quietly, expression sincere. “Would you be uncomfortable with this, or Sirius? As he is not here, you will have to speak on both of your behalves, but I believe you know his opinion on this as much as your own. I will not have my children be uncomfortable in their own home, so if you have any reservations, please voice them.”

James looked over to study Lily. He couldn’t deny that he still thought she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, or that he admired her confidence, drive, kindness, and intelligence. However, they hadn’t had the easiest start to things, mostly due to Snape. But Snape wasn’t in the picture anymore, as far as he could tell, and James himself and Lily had been bickering a lot less this year - no doubt thanks to the very incident that had caused Snape and Lily’s split.

Lily had even approached Sirius for help two days ago, and she had always gotten along fine with Remus and Peter, who would no doubt be stopping by at some point during breaks - she was even on a first-name basis with Remus due to their shared status as the sixth-year Gryffindor Prefects. He had also seen her smile at some of the older purebloods after they had insulted her. Of course, she tended to get revenge afterward, but the point was that she could make nice when she felt she had to even when under attack, and as a Marauder, he could appreciate her clever revenge schemes.

Besides which, it seemed like she’d be unsafe at her home and so would her family, and from what she’d said it sounded like she’d be leaving home either way.

“I think we both would be fine with it,” James finally said, looking back at his dad. “All the past issues really came from Sirius and me anyway, so if she’s fine around us, then I don’t think either of us would have a problem with her staying with us.”

His mum gave him a slight  _ look _ at that admission, and he winced a little knowing he’d be getting some questions about that later, but there was a pleasant surprise in Lily’s expression before she hid it and it made the back of his neck flush to see it. He turned his attention away from her just in time to catch his parents having a silent conversation before Euphemia turned back to Lily.

“My husband and I would be happy to host you for the holidays, Miss Evans,” she said, smiling warmly at the teen. “We can discuss the details later via owl if you wish, and perhaps get to know each other better. If it turns out you dislike living with us, we would be happy to help you find safe lodging with another family, too, at a later date if needed.”

Lily’s shoulders slumped in relief, seemingly without her knowledge, as she gave James’s mother a grateful smile. It was the least guarded expression James had seen from her in a long time, and he found himself staring despite his best efforts to stop.

“Lily, please,” she said, eyes crinkling with her smile. “And thank you so much, Lord and Lady Potter, for your generosity. I… I truly appreciate it, and if there is anything I can do for you in return, I will.”

“Nonsense, Lily,” Fleamont said, waving a hand dismissively. “Enjoy your youth and your holidays, and that will be enough in return. This fight should not be affecting our children, but it seems it will anyway. We are happy we can be a safe haven for you - and please, none of that Lord and Lady stuffiness if you will be living with us, we don’t hold to such formalities at home.”

“Well, I am glad to see that things will work out,” Dumbledore interjected, eyes twinkling. “Now, I’m sure Mr. Potter and Miss Evans would like to eat dinner as it has no doubt been a long day. Is there anything else you wish to discuss with one another?”

As James and Lily shook their heads, his parents voiced their disagreement. They all stood, and Lily offered her hand to James’s parents.

“Thank you again, it was a pleasure to meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Potter,” she said sincerely, her usual charm shining through the stiffness that usually took over around James. Fleamont shook her hand, his lips curling up as a playful glint lit up his eyes. Euphemia was next, eyes gentle as she clasped Lily’s hand in both of her own, a wide smile overtaking her features.

“You are quite welcome, dear, and I look forward to getting to know you over the coming months,” she said warmly. James was astonished to see Lily’s cheeks pinking a little in the face of such sincere affection, a small and pleased grin appearing on her features. “I’ll send an owl soon so that we can begin arranging the details.”

“Alright, Mia, let’s let them get to dinner,” Fleamont said nudging her with his hip slightly, causing Euphemia to roll her eyes and wink at Lily before backing away.

“Fine, fine. We’ll head on home and leave the kids to it then, Monty.” She linked arms with her husband and turned towards the fireplace, taking a small handful of Floo powder from the pot above it. She sent a look back towards the headmaster. “If that’s all Dumbledore, we’ll be going now. Much to do still this evening. James, dear, it was lovely to see you - and tell your brother we’re sorry to have missed him. Behave yourself these last few weeks, you hear?”

“Don’t behave too much though, we might get worried,” Fleamont said lightly, grinning mischievously over his shoulder, only to stagger exaggeratedly as Euphemia lightly whacked his arm. James grinned at his parents, feeling incredibly fond of them both.

“I solemnly swear it,” he promised them both, grinning. With that, both of his parents waved farewell and stepped into the fireplace with a burst of green flames, leaving him, Lily, and Dumbledore behind in the office.

“Well, you two had best be off before you miss dinner,” Dumbledore commented, gesturing invitingly towards the door. Lily and James went to the door and said their farewells to the headmaster, making their way down the stairs and past the gargoyle. They stood in the hall for a long moment, watching the stone figure swivel back into place.

“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable,” Lily finally said, turning to look at him. “I promise I didn’t know Dumbledore had approached your parents about my situation. I would have either stopped him or warned you ahead of time if I had - as it is, I was as surprised as you. So, I’m sorry.”

“I - it’s okay,” James stuttered for a moment, surprised. “Really, if it bothered me, I would have said so when my dad asked. I don’t mind. It’s not exactly torture to be around you, you know.”

A grudging smile appeared at James’s teasing grin, and Lily’s posture seemed to lose some of its tension at the easy banter. James took a moment to feel pleased at his success at putting her a bit more at ease around him, before focusing in again on the conversation.

“Your parents are really nice,” Lily commented, her smile growing at the thought of Fleamont and Euphemia as she began to make her way towards the Great Hall, causing him to trail along beside her. “Not everyone would take in a stranger at the drop of a hat like this. I - I really appreciate it.”

“It’s not exactly the first time, even if the last time wasn’t a stranger to them,” James pointed out, and Lily tipped her head in agreement, both of them thinking of Sirius. “But yeah, my parents are pretty great. I’m… glad we can help you with this.”

Reaching the doors of the Great Hall, Lily paused to one side, out of the way. She studied him for a long moment before her lips quirked up into a smile.

“You know, you aren’t the same as last year,” she finally said. Catching sight of his expression, she let out a short laugh. “That’s a good thing, Potter. It means we may actually be able to become friends.”

She turned and began making her way into the dining hall, when James called out to her.

“James,” he said, and she turned around, frowning in confusion. “If all of us actually go through with this, then call me James.”

“Alright then, James,” she said, after a moment of consideration with her head tipped to the side. A wry smile graced her features as she continued. “In that case, you’d better call me Lily.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m sorry,  _ what _ ?”

At any other time, the gobsmacked look on Remus’s face would have been hilarious. As it was, James was too busy being nervous to properly enjoy it. Sirius’s hand ran through his hair easily, and he glanced up from where his head was resting in Sirius’s lap to see him looking a little amused.

“Prongs, honestly, calm down. It’s just Evans,” he said, running his hand through James’s hair again.

“Can I just point out though that this is the same Evans that has had James moon-eyed since second or third year now?” Peter piped up, his surprise fading in favor of smiling mischievously in their direction.

“Are we just going to ignore the fact that Sirius and James are going to be living with Lily now, and for some reason neither of them told us that until now?” Remus asked incredulously. Peter shrugged, looking a little sheepish, and Sirius laughed at their friend’s indignation.

“I’m sorry, I had other things I was thinking about!” James exclaimed. “All my professors were expecting top marks on my exams, and you  _ know _ Mum and Dad would just be disappointed if I let our stuff get in the way of that. They enjoy us messing around, so long as we know when to be serious, and it just slipped my mind that I’d never mentioned it.”

“Eh, Evans isn’t that bad,” Sirius said lightly. “A little uptight sometimes, but she knows how to have fun, and she’s good at figuring out how to get along with people. I mean, she was friends with  _ Snape _ for more than six years, I think that says something about her skill with people.”

The other Marauders took that in for a moment, disquieted at the thought of willingly getting along with the other boy for that long. James did his best to shake it off, turning a half-serious glare at his friends.

“Also, why are you upset at me? Sirius knew too! I told him as soon as I got back from Dumbledore’s office, since it’s his house too.” Sirius lightly tugged at his fringe in mock anger.

“Hey, I’ve been busy too, don’t blame me,” he said, lips twitching as he fought a grin. “Also, since when did you start calling Evans ‘Lily’? Don’t think we haven’t noticed.”

James heard his friends snicker and he knew he was probably turning red. He wanted to glare at them, but couldn’t muster up the will to do so. He hated them all - really, he did.

“She asked me to,” he replied, doing his best not to whine at the renewed snickering of his friends. “She said it was weird to call each other by our last names if we’ll be living in the same house - so you’d better get used to it too, since she’ll probably want you to call her by name as well.”

“Evans is Evans,” Sirius said, his face screwing up uncomfortably at the thought of calling her first name only. At Remus’s raised eyebrows though, he sighed. “Fine, Evans is Evans, but we’ll see. Maybe calling her by her name will be easier at the Manor, or we can use nicknames or something.”

“Are you guys meeting her on the platform then?” Remus asked, seemingly deciding on moving on from the fact that they were now going to be living with Lily Evans for the foreseeable future. “She isn’t here, so you’d have to either meet her at the platform or at her house.”

“She’s coming with us off the platform,” James confirmed. “She’s staying with us for safety reasons, so it wouldn’t make sense for her to go home just for us to come get her later. My parents arranged it with her through letters.”

“The girl you fancy is on regular owling terms with your parents?” Peter commented, wrinkling his nose a little at the thought. Before James could reply though, the train began to slow, catching all of their attention.

James sat up as they all peered out the window, feeling strangely nervous as they approached the station. He glanced at Sirius and noticed that while the other boy was fairly calm, there was a small trickle of apprehension in his stance.

He didn’t have to ask to know why that was. For the first time, it was sinking in for Sirius that he never had to return to Black Mansion at Grimmauld Place again, after running away from his family at the start of the winter break. Home was now Potter Castle, and he was coming home properly for the first time - of his own accord, to be greeted by the Potters as his mum and dad instead of Lord and Lady Potter.

Reaching out, James subtly grabbed Sirius’s hand and wound their fingers together, causing Sirius to glance sideways at him. After a moment his lips twitched up into a wry smirk, and he squeezed James’s hand in return. As the train slowed to a halt, all four boys stood up. Remus automatically began pulling their luggage down off the rack, as had been habit for years due to his slightly-better than average strength from being a werewolf. Sirius and James swung their linked hands between them easily as they each received their trunks from him with their free hand.

“I saw my mum on the platform already when we pulled up,” Peter commented as he got his own trunk. “I’d better take off now - Mum hates crowds, as you know, and I don’t want to worry her more than she already is. I’ll see you next term for sure, if we can’t work out a visit this summer! Don’t forget to write about how things go with Evans!”

With that, the Marauders were down to three. James and Sirius looked at Remus, who smiled at them in amusement.

“I’ll come with you to meet your parents,” he said. “Mum and Dad sent me an owl this morning saying that they were having some trouble with the cow earlier, so they’ll be ten to fifteen minutes late. I can say hi to your parents, and then mine should have arrived by the time we’re done.”

“Sounds good,” Sirius commented. “Shall we then?”

They made their way through the crowded corridor of the train until they made it onto the station platform. The crowd was loud and raucous, families reuniting enthusiastically - with the exception of a few who valued public composure more and simply smiled and clasped their hands together.

The Potters however were enthusiastic in their welcome, and within moments of spotting them, James was enveloped in a hug from his dad while his mother hugged Sirius tightly. He breathed in the scent of parchment, forest, and fire as he hugged his dad back, before he was released as his parents swapped children.

Euphemia’s hug was gentler than his father’s but no less welcoming, and he was soon enveloped in the smell of roses, sunshine, and linen. A tension that James hadn’t realized was there eased at the comfort both of his parents brought. He allowed himself a moment more before stepping back, a small smile on his face.

“Just look how much taller you boys have grown in just a few months!” Fleamont exclaimed, glancing between James and Sirius with a wide grin, before turning his attention back to the other boy standing with them. “And Remus too! How have you been, lad?”

“I’ve been well, Mr. Potter, thank you,” Remus smiled, shaking the offered hand. “I hope you and Mrs. Potter are doing well?”

“Oh, don’t worry yourself about us, dear,” Euphemia waved a hand dismissively. “There’s plenty of life in these old bodies yet! Never felt better. Do let me know if you spot dear Lily, won’t you? I would hate to miss her in this crowd, though I don’t doubt the girl is resourceful enough to figure things out should it happen.”

James blinked at the sudden reminder that they were waiting for a fifth person to come home with them, and he spun to scan the platform for her trademark wine-red hair obligingly.

“Ah, that’s right, I just remembered! Remus, you simply must come visit us this summer,” he heard his father say, from behind him. “That hippogriff you’re so taken with, Bristlecone, she had her griffling last week! We’ve taken to calling her Little One for now, since we wanted to see if you would name her for us?”

Crowds of people wandered the platform, dressed either in the practical black robes of the uniform or the eccentrically colorful robes of daily wear, with a few Muggle outfits thrown into the whole mix. James’s eyes scanned the platform intently, looking for the features of Lily Evans to cross his line of sight.

“Really? That’s amazing! I assume the birthing went well, since you don’t seem worried,” Remus eagerly replied to Fleamont. “I’ll have to check with my parents to see when might be a good time to visit, but I’ll be sure to stop by as soon as I can to come see her!”

A flash of unmistakable wine-red popped into James’s line of sight, and his head snapped towards it instantly. Lily was standing outside the door of the train, her eyes scanning the crowds much like he had been earlier, her trunk by her side.

“Lily!” he called out, raising a hand in the air to try and catch her attention. He almost thought she didn’t hear him over the noise of the crowd, but sure enough her head turned in their direction and within a few moments she had caught sight of him and begun to make her way over to the quintet.

“Ah, good eye, James!” Euphemia laughed. “I swear these crowds get worse every year.”

“Never doubt James’s ability to spot Lily Evans,” Sirius snickered quietly, before cutting off with a quiet yelp as James elbowed him in the side. From the sound of Remus’s quiet laughter, it was clear that he’d heard too, and James felt the tops of his ears going red.

“Mr. and Mrs. Potter,” Lily greeted as she arrived. “I’m sorry if I kept you waiting - one of my friends’ trunk broke open as she took it down from the luggage rack and it took a moment to sort out the mess.”

“McKinnon?” Sirius asked, smile pulling at his lips. Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Lily nodded, her own lips twitching.

“Isn’t it always?” she replied, before shaking her head. “I keep telling her that she doesn’t need the entire set of Guides for Divination every time we go to school. That’s like bringing the entirety of the Encyclopedia Britannica every term, when she already knows more than enough of the basics to get by and the library has their own copies.”

“Oh, I think I see my parents now,” Remus broke in. He turned to face James’s parents, and then the three of his classmates. “I’ll be in touch about visiting, Mr. and Mrs. Potter - thank you for the offer, I look forward to it. James, Sirius, don’t forget to  _ write me _ this summer. Lily, take care, and if these two offer you any food, don’t take it.”

“Hey!” James protested. “We wouldn’t do that to a guest.”

“Yes you would,” Remus smiled in response, before grabbing the handle of his trunk and tossing them all a wave. “See you soon, hopefully!”

They all watched Remus disappear into the crowd for a moment, before Fleamont let out a quiet sigh.

“What a nice boy, I do hope he can come stay with us soon,” he commented, before returning his attention to the three teenagers in front of him - especially Lily. “So, I know that my wife has talked to you a little bit about our home. We’ll be Side-Along Apparating you, if that is alright? Ordinarily we’d offer to use the Floo system, but you aren’t keyed into the Wards yet so one of us would need to bring you - and the fireplaces here aren’t quite large enough to fit two people comfortably.”

“Yes, that should be fine,” Lily said, smiling politely at James’s father. “Honestly, please, do whatever you normally would. I’m already imposing as it is, I would hate for you to feel you need to go out of your way to do something different on my account.”

“Nonsense,” Euphemia insisted, stepping forward to link her elbow into Lily’s own. “I’ve told you before that it’s no trouble at all - Fleamont and I wanted many children when we married, having our two sons home and any number of their friends as guests is honestly a pleasure. And this is already such a horrible thing that you’re having to leave home, the least we can do is make it a little easier in small ways.”

Once again James was witness to the sight of a startled but pleased Lily Evans. The girl blinked at his mother, a little taken aback, before a shy but genuine smile graced her features as she ducked her head. Exchanging a glance with Sirius, he knew they were both impressed by Euphemia’s ability to befriend whoever she set her mind on.

“Well now, we’d better be going!” Fleamont commented, smiling at the sight of his wife and their guest. “I know that I for one will feel much better once we’ve free of this crowd. Boys? Care to travel with me?”

He offered them both a hand, and Sirius and James both took hold of one. They glanced at his mother and Lily to check that they were ready, before the familiar squeezing feeling of Apparition took hold. It ended abruptly, and the lingering dizziness, bright sunshine, and sudden lack of shouting was briefly disorienting.

James stumbled a little as he let go of his father, blinking hard several times to reorient himself. He was also incredibly thankful that he no longer got sick from Apparating - when he was younger, James used to be unable to do it without first taking an Anti-Nausea potion.

Once his head stopped spinning, he turned to take in the sight of his home. Potter Castle was in the middle of a small lake, appearing to rise from the water itself, and was surrounded by fields on one side and a dense forest on the other. It was made of light grey stone, rising up to form the parapets that made up the outer wall. It was beautiful, and even though it was made with defense in mind, the armaments only added to its beauty and grandeur, rather than taking away from it. It was about a third of the size of Hogwarts, but James privately loved it even more than the old school, despite all the fun he had there.

“This is where you live?” At Lily’s quiet question, they all turned to look at her. The girl was staring at the castle, wide-eyed. They all watched as her eyes scanned the building itself, before sweeping across the fields and the parts of the forest that they could see, all clearly part of the castle grounds. “It’s  _ beautiful _ .”

“Isn’t it just?” Euphemia agreed, tone gentle as she took a deep breath in of the fresh air. “I spend most of my time outdoors for that very reason, overseeing the grounds while Monty deals with all the boring indoor business.”

James smiled and glanced at his dad, who usually protested whenever his mother called his studies and duties boring. Fleamont however hadn’t heard the comment, having wandered a few steps forward, his wand extended.

“Lily, if you don’t mind coming here for a moment?” he asked, causing the girl to blink, before obligingly taking a few steps closer. “A little more, if you would, and… stop! Perfect. Now if you would just extend your wand about a foot or so I should be able to let the wards get a read of your magic so they recognize you and let you in without any trouble from now on.”

“Oh, you have a  _ Lectio animae  _ set up?” Lily asked curiously. “Should I spark my wand to help it out?”

“It’s not the only thing there, but yes,” Fleamont agreed, looking up from his casting curiously. “And go ahead if you would like - it’s not technically magic so you shouldn’t get in trouble with the Trace. I’m surprised you know to do that - you know about the  _ Lectio animae _ Ward?”

“Wards are… a hobby I guess you could say,” Lily admitted, her cheeks turning a little pink. “I’ve been looking into them for several years now in my spare time.”

“Impressive!” Euphemia exclaimed, looking at Lily anew. “Wards are very tricky things, both when setting them and in understanding them. Do you want to become a Warder or curse-breaker when you graduate?”

“No, I’d rather be a Charms Master or a Healer if at all possible,” Lily commented, eyes tracking the amber-colored sparks falling from the tip of her wand. “Like I said, Wards are just a hobby.”

“Well, it’s an impressive hobby then,” Fleamont smiled, seemingly catching the fact that Lily was beginning to grow uncomfortable with the subject. He waved his wand once more and nodded. “Alright, Lily, you are now keyed into the castle’s Wards. The property line on this side is closer here and extends further on the other side, but even if you go outside of the boundaries, you should now be able to return without issue.”

“Thank you, Mr. Potter,” Lily replied, looking up at him. “I’ll be careful not to leave the boundaries though, just in case, since half the reason Dumbledore asked you to host me is because of the protections here.”

“Well, so long as you are not worrying over it excessively,” Euphemia acknowledged, linking her arm with Lily’s again as she began walking forward. “Come, my dear, let’s get you settled.”

The five of them walked down the path made of large, flat stones, and Lily was quietly taking in their surroundings, even as James and Sirius began messing with each other. James knew they were both a little more subdued in their play than they normally would be due to the presence of the red-headed girl with them, but there was still enough of an ease that came from being home that he didn’t hold back too much.

Their play turned into a race, and before long the two of them were tearing down the path, trunks doing their best to keep up - and it was only thanks to the charms on them that they could. James laughed as he sidestepped an attempt to trip him up from Sirius, reaching out with his free hand blindly. He heard an answering yelp from the other boy when he failed to dodge the careful shove.

“James Potter, you cheater!” he shouted, and James couldn’t help but cackle.

“You started it!” he returned, glancing over for a moment to grin wildly at Sirius. “Don’t start it if you can’t take it!”

They squabbled a bit more before reaching the two pillars that frame the start of the drawbridge across the lake. The moment they crossed the threshold of the bridge onto the castle grounds themself, their luggage popped away and they raced just a little bit faster with the lack of possessions holding them back. One hand then the other smacked into the castle wall, and Sirius let out a quiet curse as they collapsed back against the stone wall, gasping for breath.

“You dirty cheat, James Potter,” he laughed, one foot coming out to try and kick the other boy’s legs out from under him. It made James stumble for a second, but he caught himself before he truly fell. James sent Sirius a mischievous grin from under his bangs. “I ought to toss you in the lake for that.”

“Again, you started it,” James said in response, before both of their attentions were caught by the trio just then making their way across the bridge. Fleamont had his eyebrows raised, but overall looked amused by their antics, and Euphemia looked fondly exasperated with them both. Lily seemed a little perplexed, but there was a smile on her lips that belied her true feelings about the scene they had just made.

As all three of them reached the end of the bridge, their bags popped away too, and Lily glanced at where hers used to be with a surprised tick of an eyebrow. A moment later, her expression cleared to something understanding if a bit conflicted.

“House elves?” she asked Euphemia, her tone carefully neutral.

“Yes, they are,” James’s mother responded, giving a wry smile as she picked up on Lily’s mood. “This was their home first, before wixen came through and cleared the forest to build this estate. It seemed only right we offer them access to the Family magic in return, since our ancestors took away their access to natural magic with the disappearance of the trees.”

Lily blinked in turn, her neutral expression falling away into open curiosity.

“I may have to ask you about that sometime,” she said, a hint of an apologetic smile on her face as she glanced at the woman. “I haven’t heard great things about house elves in general, and nobody I asked could ever give me an answer beyond ‘because’ or ‘it’s always been that way’.”

“I’ll be sure to do my best when the time for that conversation comes,” Euphemia responded, patting her arm kindly before turning her attention to the two boys waiting at the walls of the castle. “Now, boys, won’t you show Lily to her room for me? I want to go check on that new griffling we have before dinner, and Monty still has some paperwork to finish up about his latest potion. She’ll be in the Sky Room, dears, and remember to behave yourselves! Dinner is at the usual time tonight.”

With that, both Euphemia and Fleamont Potter dispersed from the group, leaving the three teenagers to their own devices. James shuffled a little nervously, uncertain about what exactly to do now that the girl is in his home. Sirius had his eyes following Euphemia, and his eyebrows were raised.

“Dang, Evans!” he exclaimed, turning his attention back to her. “You must have made a good impression on Mum; the Sky Room is her favorite guest room, so she doesn’t let just anyone stay there.”

“The Sky Room?” Lily asked, looking curious. “What’s that?”

“All the rooms have nicknames here,” James explained. “It’s to help with Flooing. They’re usually named after their purpose or their decoration - in this case, because the room is blue and white, mainly. Come on, we’ll show you where it is.”

He entered the castle doors, and paused for just a moment to appreciate the sight of his home. There was a hallway extending out to the right and left of them, made of the same light grey stone as everything else, but in front of them the walls opened up into the inner courtyard that was his mother’s pride and joy. Flowers bloomed everywhere, all colors and kinds, somehow appearing magical rather than messy with the chaos. A small tiled pathway runs through them, leading to an inner square that is tiled and has multiple seats in it for leisure.

Behind him, James heard Sirius’s quiet hum at the sight, and Lily’s sharp breath. Shaking himself from the beauty of it all, he motioned for them to follow and turned right, ducking past an archway up a flight of stairs neatly tucked away. The clattering of footsteps behind him told James that the other two were following, and when they reached the second floor, he motioned to the left.

“Mum and Dad’s room is two doors down that way, the first door is Dad’s study,” James explained, glancing back at Lily, who was beginning to look overwhelmed. “Most of the others down that hall are other guest rooms, but we can show you those later.”

He turned and moved to the right, passing by multiple portraits on the walls and several windows looking out over the floral courtyard. Several doors down James stopped. He glanced back at the others and saw Sirius studying Lily and her reaction to everything, while Lily herself was looking a little thrown by everything still.

“This is Sirius’s room, the one to the right is mine. The Sky Room, your room, is on the other side of his.” He stepped forward and opened the door to the room, standing aside to let Lily and Sirius go in first. Because of that, he was able to see the expression on Lily’s face as she saw her room for the first time.

The walls were painted a pale sky-blue, and the comforter on the bed matched it perfectly. The ceiling and sheets were the same shade of white as the small armchair in the corner, and the wood of the side table and dresser were a light honey brown. The windows overlooked part of the lake and the nearby forest, letting in sunlight to warm the air and the wooden floor. A vase of honeysuckle flowers was set up on a small table near the vanity across from the bed, lightly perfuming the air.

“It’s beautiful,” Lily said softly, moving into the room absently as her eyes wandered the space. She blinked when she noticed her trunk at the foot of the bed, before visibly realizing that it must have been the house elves from earlier. James cleared his throat.

“Well, we’ll let you get settled in. Feel free to unpack however much you want,” he said, stepping back. Sirius and I will be right next door if you need anything, either in my room or his, depending on how much gets unpacked. If you don’t feel like socializing then we’ll see you when dinner rolls around, and we can show you where the dining room is.”

Seeing Lily’s nod, James fled the room dragging Sirius behind him, and they both entered the room right next door. Sirius’s room was just the way he had left it, full of Gryffindor colors, posters of muggle vehicles, and a bookshelf of practical and for fun books. James shut the door behind them and pressed his hands to his face, letting out a quiet moan of distress.

“This is so  _ weird _ , Padfoot!” he complained. “I didn’t think it would be, up until I went into the guest bedroom and realized she’s going to be staying here, at  _ our house _ for the rest of the summer!”

“Crush making it weird?” Sirius smirked, flopping onto his bed to stare up at the ceiling, before tipping his head to eye James’s freakout.

“I don’t think it’s that,” James replied, flopping down beside him and just barely managing to avoid elbowing Sirius in the gut. “It’s just - I don’t have many people from school here, since it’s the Family Home and all, even if we don’t adhere to that as much as some families do. It’s just been you, Remus, and Peter really - and I live with you guys during the school year anyway so it doesn’t feel like it counts. And this is your home too now, so obviously you’ll be here. Now it’s someone entirely new, who we really didn’t interact with a lot one-on-one until now even if we are in the same school House, and she’ll be living next door to us for months.”

“Does it bother you?” Sirius asked, eyes more honest than normal as he checked in with James. “You know Lor- Mum and Dad would find somewhere else for you if it truly made you uncomfortable. And I can’t see Evans holding it against you for not wanting her in your home.”

“No, not enough to kick her out,” James hurriedly said. shaking his head at the idea of letting Lily fend for herself after promising her a safe haven for the vacation. “It’s just… strange is all. It’ll take some getting used to, and in the meantime it’ll be a little awkward as everyone figures out how this works.”

Sirius studied him for a moment in the sunlight from the window, before nodding decisively and letting the matter go. They laid there in silence for a while, thoughts drifting as they got used to being home again. Finally, Sirius groaned, sitting up on the bed and looking down on James’s relaxed expression.

“C’mon. You help me unpack my junk and I’ll help with yours, deal?” Sirius raised an eyebrow at him, and James rolled his eyes at the other teen but nodded, sitting up himself to begin unpacking.

Most people tended to assume that Sirius would have been the messier of the two of them, and in another life, maybe he would have been. However, in this life, he was meticulously tidy after having it drilled into him by his parents, meaning that everything from his clothing to his bookshelves were much more organized than James’s own. Because of this, it didn’t take long to put the contents of Sirius’s back where they belonged, and before long they were moving to James’s room to continue unpacking.

***

“Evans?” Sirius called, knocking on her door a few hours later. There was a muffled sound of movement inside, before the door opened, revealing the red-headed teen. She had changed out of her school robes at some point during that time, much like Sirius and James had, so that she was now wearing a worn T-shirt and some jean shorts. She blinked at them both in the same way they blinked at her - a little surprised by Sirius’s long jeans and T-shirt and James’s shorts and T-shirt.

After a moment where they all took in the fact that none of them were wearing their uniforms in front of each other for the first time in recent memory, Lily cleared her throat, casting a look at Sirius.

“I thought I mentioned to call me Lily, Black,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “It’s weird to use last names when living together.”

“I will when you do, Evans,” Sirius teased, his own eyebrows going up. Lily rolled her eyes, but her lips curled into a small smile anyway. “Anyway, we came to get you for dinner. The castle isn’t hard to learn, since it isn’t  _ too _ big, but it’s definitely a bit much if you’ve never seen it before.”

“Oh right, sure,” Lily said, moving to follow them. She then paused, glancing at the light grey stone of the corridor floor and her own bare feet. “Er, will I need shoes? I know it’s summer, but the ground is still stone, right?”

James glanced down at the floor, having not even thought about it since he was so used to coming and going as he pleased. Realizing what she meant, he laughed a little, shaking his head as she glanced up at him.

“Nah, the entire castle is charmed six ways to Sunday,” he explained, gesturing out at the hallway. “That includes the floors, so they stay at a good temperature. Same for the windows - there’s a climate charm on the castle interior so that you could be in shorts and a tank top in the dead of winter by an open window and be fine. Since all the corridors open to the interior courtyard, it comes in handy to keep from freezing.”

“Good to know,” Lily said, stepping out of the room and eyeing the castle walls with new curiosity. Abruptly, James remembered her passion for Charms, and wondered if he'd accidentally done something he’d regret. He shook it off and motioned for her to follow them.

They went back down the stairs they’d used earlier, and went straight to the interior courtyard with all of its flowers and plants. James slowed his pace as he caught Lily admiring the flowers again, and Sirius sent him a knowing look. James scrunched his face at the other boy in turn, hoping the sunlight hid the reddening of his ears from the other two teenagers with him. Before long, they had crossed the courtyard and were entering the castle interior again on the opposite side.

Ignoring the staircases on either side of the entrance, James headed straight for the double doors in front of them, opening one and gesturing the others through before following himself. Inside was a large hall reminiscent of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, only with fewer tables. When it was just them, James knew the castle shrunk the room a bit, to keep it from feeling overly empty. The result was a cozy room lit by cheery Witch Lights held in glass cages on the walls and by sunlight filtering in through the ceiling charmed to be see-through.

His parents were already waiting for them at the table (James noticed the castle had shrunk it down to size too), seated at both of the ends and leaving the seats in between free for the three teenagers to take. Both of them looked up at the doors opening and smiled at the sight of them.

“Ah, there you are, kids!” Fleamont exclaimed, eyes crinkling with his grin. “We were beginning to wonder where you were - James and Sirius usually are either here or in the kitchens snacking four or five times a day.”

“We’re growing boys, Dad!” Sirius exclaimed, clutching a hand to his heart dramatically. “We’d die if we didn’t!”

“I’m sure you would,” Euphemia said, hiding her growing grin behind her hand. Her eyes turned to Lily. “Are you settling in alright, dear? If there’s anything you’re missing, just let me know and I’ll be sure to arrange it for you.”

“No, Mrs. Potter, everything is great,” Lily replied, shaking her head and taking a seat beside James’s mother. “Thank you so much, again, for having me. The room is beautiful!”

James watched his mother’s pleased expression at the compliment as he took a seat next to his father on the other side of the table, Sirius taking the seat beside him and across from Lily. Within moments, food appeared on their plates, and he grinned at the familiar sight of the cooking.

“Thanks Trinket, Bauble, Coin!” he said quietly, digging in without further question. Beside him, Sirius murmured a similar thanks, before tucking in as well.

“Are those the house elves?” Lily asked, looking briefly confused at the odd comments from both boys, and Fleamont chuckled, nodding in response.

“Yes, those are the names of half of the Potter elves,” he said, beginning to eat his own meal. “There are six here: Trinket, Bauble, Coin, Jingle, Pin, and Tinsel. The other three help with the grounds, while the three the boys mentioned tend to the castle itself. Of course there’s some overlap, but those are generally their usual areas.”

“I see,” Lily said quietly, still looking a little uncertain at the thought of house elves. James knew his mother likely saw it too, and was probably going to have that conversation with the girl before long, to ease her worries about them. Still, Lily seemed to shake off her thoughts as she picked up her utensils, looking down at her meal with interest. “In that case, thank you very much for the meal Trinket, Bauble, and Coin.”

Conversation from there was slow to start, but before long it was flowing easily and was interspersed with light laughter from time to time. Things weren’t quite done being awkward yet, James knew, but he was pretty sure they wouldn’t stay awkward for long. He smiled as he heard Sirius snark at Lily and the red-head send a quip of her own back, followed by the chuckling of his parents, and shook his head as he took another bite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone curious, I'm basing Potter Castle off of Bodiam Castle, with a few modifications!
> 
> Also, yes, I've always been with Hermione on the house elves issue and it never made sense to me why more people in the books weren't - so, to try and fill that plot hole to keep this story as canon-compliant as possible, there will be lore. (Speaking of lore, I may or may not have five full pages - and counting - of worldbuilding notes for this story, haha... expect at least some of it to show up here!)


End file.
